Art dealer claims contents of storage locker he bought for $15,000 includes six Willem de Koonings............ Artsy Magazine, online
Will the art world believe anything? Six ‘unsigned’ deKoonings miraculously found in a locker of junk by gallery owner David Killen, what kind of art dealer buys unclaimed storage lockers? These works were ‘authenticated’ by some guy claims to have been a studio assistant to the deKoonings, probably the real painter. “In my opinion, they are [by de Kooning],” he told the Post. “There’s no doubt about it.” Guess that’s good enough, all anyone’s going to get. The article goes on, ‘the works may result in a major return on Killen’s $15,000 investment—the current auction record for a de Kooning....... $66.3 million. Killen plans to unveil the works Tuesday night at his West 25th Street gallery and auction them off starting in the fall.
Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXV, 1977, oil on canvas. At auction: $66.3 million.
This is so much better than stealing. The ‘victims’ write the checks themselves, figuring to get well when they donate the absolutely untraceable gestural exuberance to some colluding municipal museum for a big tax write-off, so guess who the real victims are. Politicians and business people try to hide their bribery and corruption, but this brazen conjuring thrives on publicity and seeks it out. Millions of dollars will change hands and no one will complain, all of them in on it you see, because in the end it’s the little people who pay. It stinks. Such a shame to burden art with excessive wealth’s shenanigans, shifting their burden down with the tax code. This auction house art business is so unsavory and its product so visually dissociated, that many serious, thoughtful, busy people are simply unmoved, and move on.
On the other hand, you may not have the power to change it all, but you could help it along in your hometown, while helping yourself as well. There’s an artist not that far away doing these charming quiet landscapes, been around a while and getting better. You ought to buy one, take it home and hang it where you’ll see it everyday. You can compare it to the one the neighbor bought, something to talk about besides some local team's season. Leave those phony auction records to the high rollers, profiling their loot for anyone who cares to look. Chances are you’d be happier with the art of someone who’s lived a life something like your own, finding their place in the same economy, driving the same streets, seeing the same sights, and by their talent and dedication nailing down a time, a place, a mood, or a memory all your own in a worthy vessel, a work of art that lasts a lifetime.
Will the art world believe anything? Six ‘unsigned’ deKoonings miraculously found in a locker of junk by gallery owner David Killen, what kind of art dealer buys unclaimed storage lockers? These works were ‘authenticated’ by some guy claims to have been a studio assistant to the deKoonings, probably the real painter. “In my opinion, they are [by de Kooning],” he told the Post. “There’s no doubt about it.” Guess that’s good enough, all anyone’s going to get. The article goes on, ‘the works may result in a major return on Killen’s $15,000 investment—the current auction record for a de Kooning....... $66.3 million. Killen plans to unveil the works Tuesday night at his West 25th Street gallery and auction them off starting in the fall.
This is so much better than stealing. The ‘victims’ write the checks themselves, figuring to get well when they donate the absolutely untraceable gestural exuberance to some colluding municipal museum for a big tax write-off, so guess who the real victims are. Politicians and business people try to hide their bribery and corruption, but this brazen conjuring thrives on publicity and seeks it out. Millions of dollars will change hands and no one will complain, all of them in on it you see, because in the end it’s the little people who pay. It stinks. Such a shame to burden art with excessive wealth’s shenanigans, shifting their burden down with the tax code. This auction house art business is so unsavory and its product so visually dissociated, that many serious, thoughtful, busy people are simply unmoved, and move on.
On the other hand, you may not have the power to change it all, but you could help it along in your hometown, while helping yourself as well. There’s an artist not that far away doing these charming quiet landscapes, been around a while and getting better. You ought to buy one, take it home and hang it where you’ll see it everyday. You can compare it to the one the neighbor bought, something to talk about besides some local team's season. Leave those phony auction records to the high rollers, profiling their loot for anyone who cares to look. Chances are you’d be happier with the art of someone who’s lived a life something like your own, finding their place in the same economy, driving the same streets, seeing the same sights, and by their talent and dedication nailing down a time, a place, a mood, or a memory all your own in a worthy vessel, a work of art that lasts a lifetime.
